Chapter 61: Wager (Request Follows! Tuesday PK Recommendation Slot!)

Gao Wen murmured to himself, paused in thought, then said:

“Aren’t we setting sail precisely to find such beings?”

Kamon blinked, turning to look at Gao Wen:

“That’s so cool!”

“But to thank you for your help, we’re throwing a feast tonight!”

Gao Wen smiled faintly and followed Kamon away.

Along the way:

Countless wild beasts from the jungle gathered behind Kamon.

Over twenty years, many beasts had endured cycles of life and death, yet after parting, new life emerged.

Their friendship with Kamon had not faded with death, but become a legacy.

In such a journey, Kamon had already found his treasure; Gao Wen was still on the road, yet without realizing it, he now had no shortage of companions trailing behind him.

…

The feast was held in a cave at the island’s center.

Around the central bonfire, Kamon laid out his homemade fruit wine, smoked fish, and fruits and melons gathered by his beast friends from surrounding woods, letting everyone help themselves.

Keluo raised his cup and clinked it against Kamon’s:

“Sorry about earlier.”

Kamon waved his hand:

“Don’t mention it—all’s in the wine!”

Saying that,

he ignored Keluo, downing a large gulp of wine himself; Keluo, seeing this, grinned and swallowed a full bowl in one go.

Kamon’s mobility was limited; even with help from his beast friends, the wine he brewed was far from fine or delicious.

But wine itself was never the main event—the ceremony was merely decoration.

The smiles and joy on everyone’s faces were the true heart of the feast.

…

The feast lasted days and nights.

Only when the storm outside the cave had fully calmed did they finally stop.

Kamon, who had not seen a living soul in twenty years, unleashed all his pent-up enthusiasm; even though many of Gao Wen’s group were already drunk, they couldn’t stop him.

On the beach:

The pirate ship stranded by the storm was pushed back into the sea by the combined efforts of all.

Fortunately, proper precautions had been taken; though damaged in places, it remained seaworthy.

Gao Wen left Kamon a Den Den Mushi, telling him he could contact him directly if he needed anything from the outside world, then departed with his crew aboard the ship.

…

After the great wind came great clarity; the sea was calm, gentle waves lapped, and warm sunlight fell from the sky onto them.

Warm and pleasant.

Nami, sunbathing, quietly rolled over—and saw a green-haired figure push open the cabin door and step out slowly.

“Where are we?”

“Where are Johnny and Joseph?!”

Zoro scanned the area and asked.

In just a few days,

the wound on his chest had nearly healed, yet he only now awoke; though his face was still pale, it no longer hindered combat.

The three swords at his waist were the best proof.

“Oh, awake?”

Gao Wen, sitting on deck polishing Kensei, looked up at Zoro.

In these past days,

he had used his badge ability to assess Zoro’s potential—and confirmed his guess: Gold Rank.

That meant even without any breakthroughs, even without needing to awaken his true heart like Keluo, Zoro could, through steady progress, become one of the strongest.

His potential already surpassed Gao Wen’s at this moment.

Naturally, he wanted to bring him under his command.

“Did you save me?”

Zoro looked at Gao Wen, one hand resting on his sword, eyes eager—but he still suppressed his desire.

“If you want me to join you, better do it now—!”

“Kid, you owe me three lives.”

Gao Wen held up three fingers, smiling faintly: “Turning down your savior like that? Not very polite~”

Zoro’s eyelid twitched:

“I’ve only got one life! Where’d you get three?!”

Gao Wen pointed to the corner, where Johnny and Joseph were mopping the deck with a broom:

“Aren’t your two little underlings people too?”

Zoro fell silent, then looked up at Gao Wen:

“What will it take for you to let them go?”

Gao Wen’s expression turned serious:

“How about a wager?”

“It’s still ten or so days’ sail to my base.”

“You can attack me any way you like—if you make me bleed, I’ll not only return your freedom, I’ll hand those two brats over to you.”

“What’s the stake?”

Gao Wen pointed at Zoro:

“You.”

!

“Hmph~”

Zoro’s face broke into a defiant grin:

“If I refuse now, I’d be the one acting foolish.”

“But even if I lose to you, I’ll leave this ship the day I surpass you.”

“After all,”

“I have a promise I must fulfill—even at the cost of my life!”

Gao Wen said calmly:

“You’re already looking for an escape route before we’ve even begun?”

“But these two things aren’t mutually exclusive. Enough talk—I’ll take your silence as acceptance of the wager.”

The moment his voice ended,

three silver blade streaks surged toward Gao Wen, growing larger—Zoro, long restrained, struck instantly.

Clearly, he still resented his earlier defeat.

“Impatient fellow~”

Gao Wen smiled faintly, thrusting Kensei forward.

As before, his sword tip met the convergence of Zoro’s three blades; no matter how hard Zoro pushed, he couldn’t advance an inch.

But this time,

Zoro had already prepared himself mentally.

If even a dagger could do it, how could his own most familiar, soul-tuned blades fail?

A thought flashed through his mind.

Zoro pulled his two swords back, intending to retreat and gather another assault—but Gao Wen’s Kensei, like a venomous snake, clung to him.

The relentless thrusts left Zoro overwhelmed; his three swords flailed wildly just to barely block, his feet slipping back step by step.

Within a few breaths, he was pushed to the deck’s edge.

Then—

Gao Wen’s attack slowed; Zoro barely exhaled in relief when a silver-white blade streak shot from Gao Wen’s hand.

He barely ducked—the streak skimmed his scalp and flew far away…

Hss!

A sea beast dozens of meters long, just leaping from the water, was split cleanly in two by Gao Wen’s aerial slash.

Zoro turned back, staring at the shocking sight on the sea, swallowed hard, and said:

“Can a swordsman even do this?”

Gao Wen smiled faintly:

“A powerful swordsman can cut down flying dragons from the sky.”

“Want to learn?”

“I’ll teach you.”

"Hmph!"

Zoro’s lips curled into a fiercely defiant smile.

In that moment, he suddenly realized that joining Gao Wen’s Pirate Crew wasn’t such a bad thing.

At the very least, even when facing his own opponent, Gao Wen had stepped in to save him—indicating the man was unlikely to be a truly monstrous villain.

Moreover, having such a powerful opponent to spar with would only accelerate his growth!

He had confidence.

He could reach Gao Wen’s current level within three years at most!

“I’ll become the strongest—in my own way!”

(End of Chapter)